West Country

Teacher escapes jail for sexual offences

A North Somerset schoolteacher has been given a suspended sentence after admitting to four charges of sexual offences against a teenager. Kelly Burgess admitted the incidents with a boy between 13 and 17 years old.

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A former drama teacher at a North Somerset secondary school has walked free from court after admitting four charges of adult abuse of position of trust, namely sexual activity with a boy aged 13 to 17 years old between 1 January and 28 August 2013.

Kelly Burgess admitted having an affair with a 16-year-old pupil. She had claimed that she was not aware she had done anything illegal as the boy had reached the age of consent and the relationship was "loving and on equal terms".

The judge at Bristol Crown Court sentenced her to ten months in prison, suspended for two years, and said losing her teaching career was "the greatest punishment in many ways".